Ali Zulfikar Zahedi’s journey from a successful corporate career to a thriving creative career in filmmaking is a story of passion, dedication, and determination. Born in Rajshahi in 1976, Ali spent most of his childhood in Bogura, where his father was a university lecturer. Although Ali started his career in business, his love for creativity and the film industry led him to a completely different path.
Upbringing and Early Life:
Ali Zulfikar Zahedi was born in Rajshahi in 1976, and he spent his childhood in Bogura. His father, Matiur Rahman Zahedi, was a government-registered pharmacist and a university lecturer. Although Ali’s father worked in the pharmaceutical industry as a medicine scientist by the time Ali was growing up, it was clear that Ali was destined for more than just a typical corporate career.
Education and Early Career:
Ali’s education took him further away from his family home, first to Gazipur, then Dhaka, and then to India, where he completed his bachelor’s and master’s degrees. After graduation, Ali returned to Bangladesh and started his business career, working for Korean, Japanese, and American multinationals.
Success in the Corporate World:
Ali’s success in business was apparent when he became the national representative for a Canadian multinational. Despite his corporate success, Ali’s creative drive remained, and he wanted to pursue his passion for filmmaking.
Transition to Filmmaking:
Ali’s career, which combined travel with ongoing education, may have indicated his unsatisfied desire for adventure. Although Ali never intended to be a filmmaker, he always wanted to be creative. He believed that his business career was preparing him for the film industry. Filmmaking, in many ways, is similar to management, albeit in a different field.
Mindset for Innovation
Ali Zulfikar Zahedi, the director, is always looking for new and creative ways to incorporate innovation into his work, whether in corporate or filmmaking. The same techniques he used in his film KAGOZ, where he created the film poster entirely out of clay. Rinku created the posters based on the concept of Zahedi, who is known for creating posters out of clay and other mixed materials. Called MATIR POSTER in Bengali, these clay movie posters serve as a creative art project that can be appreciated by fans of the Bengali classic movie genre as well as those who are too young to appreciate the films. According to the director, this is the most expensive poster ever created in the Bangladesh film industry, and it will go down in history. Mr. Rinku created the clay poster, which took him one month to complete. the poster is approximately 6 feet long and is supported by a wooden frame.
But above all, this movie poster was worth seeing for the first time in viewers. According to the director, this is also the first time in Film history that a movie poster has been made out of clay. Paper movie posters, which Director refers to as “MATIR POSTER,” have a special place in the history of Bangladeshi cinema. Presently, The director has placed the poster at the Bangladesh Film Development Corporation for viewing by the general audience and film crews.
First Short Film:
In 2020, Ali released his first short film, The Sound. He took on scriptwriting, production, and directing duties for the short film. The Sound won numerous awards at film festivals around the world, both as a film and for Ali’s various roles behind the camera.
First Feature-Length Film:
In December 2022, Ali released his first feature-length film, Kagoz (The Paper). The film won several international awards, and Ali declared it to be the first classical Bangladeshi film in the industry. Ali wrote and directed the film and wrote the lyrics for the theme and sequence songs.
As a Lyricist:
Director Ali Zulfikar Zahedi makes films, but his media journey began with songwriting. He wrote many songs that are still popular among Bangladeshi singers, Indian singers, and Arubian singers in English. Thus People initially knew him as a lyricist.
Success in Both Worlds:
Ali intends to continue his filmmaking career while also maintaining his corporate career, demonstrating that it is possible to succeed in both worlds. Ali believes that filmmaking and creativity, in general, should be accessible to everyone. “My career demonstrates that I am a corporate person, but I am also a filmmaker,” he says. “I want to continue demonstrating that.”
Conclusion:
Ali Zulfikar Zahedi’s journey is an inspiring example of how one can pursue their passion while still succeeding in their career. From a successful corporate career to a thriving creative career in filmmaking, Ali’s story proves that with dedication and determination, anything is possible.
